Liquid-meter.



-C. P. BLACHLY.

LIQUID METER.

111111131111011 FILED AUG. 18. 1913.

i s l Patented 1p1. 11, 1916.

CHARLES IP. BLACHLY, 0F DETROT, MICHIGAN. I

LIQUID-METER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented .aan ai, raie.

Application led August 18, 1913. Serial No. 785,243.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. BLAOHLY, a citizen of the United States',and resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan,have' invented a new and useful Liquid-Meter, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to means for measuring water, fuel andilluminating oils, and' other liquids, simple, effective and reliablemeter which can be cheaply constructed, and which will operate underpressure and under the least favorable conditions.

This invention consists in combination with a measuring chamber, of apair of connected valves for controlling the passage of the liquid intoand out of the measuring chamber, of a pair of oats for moving saidvalves, andmeans connected to said floats whereby each float preventsthe operationof the other ioat until the liquid in the measuring chamberhas reached one or the other of two predetermined levels.

It further consists, in combination with the above mechanism, of astorage chamber into which the contents of the measuring chamber may bedischarged, means being provided for insuring the pressure remaining thesame in both chambers.

In the accompanying-drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section on the line1-1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the controlling levers. Fig. 3is a bottom plan of the instrument on a somewhat smaller scale.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the present construction, the case of the instrument constitutes ameasuring chamber and a valve chamber. uring chamber is a float chamberand lits dimensions and proportions will depend upon the desiredcapacity of the meter. The

chamber is shown to be cylindrical, although any other desired shape maybe used.` The shell 1 connects to a top 2 and to a partial bottom 3,which, in turn, connects to the valve ohamber,pwhich has a bottom 4,sides 5, and ends 6. 7, 8 and 9. An the passage 7 in the base.

' ll'storaglge chamber 11, preferably formed on one side of the valvechamber, connects to the top of the measuring ychamber in any desiredmanner, preferably by the pipe 12. It alsor connects to the valvechamber, the

and its object is to provide a.

The meas- A 44 having The bottom has passages' inlet pipe 10 connectsintol passage 8 serving this purpose, A discharge pipe 14 connects tothe passage 9 and thereby to the storage chamber.

A vertical post-15, preferably a`tube, connectlng to the bottom 3,guides and positions the two floats 16 and A17. The lower float 17 has apassage 18 through which the link 19 passes to connect the upper floatto the right end (Fig. 1) of the lever 20, which is pivotally mounted onthe rod 22 that extends across through the valve chamber. The link 23connects the lower ioat to the right end of the lever 24, which ispivoted on the rod 25 that also extends across through the valvechamber. The lever 204has a lug 26 ,which engages' the shoulder 27 onthe lever 24 while the measuring chamber is discharging, the

partsbeing n the positions shown inFig. 1.

Valve seats are formed at the inner end ofthe passage 7 'and theadjacent end of the passage 8, which passages can therefore be closed bythe valves 28 and 29 respectively, having rods 31 and 32 that connect tothe ends of the lever 33 mounted on a' pivot34 on the lbracket 35.wardly projecting arm 36 to which the spring 37 connects and normallyholds one of the valves in its' seat, completing the movement of thevalves after the movement Aof the lever 33 has been more than onehalfperformed. A ieXible connector of any desired construction, such as thechain 38, connects the lever 20 to the left end of the lever 33, whilethe connector 39 connects the other end ofthe lever 33 to the lever 24.

A perforated plate 40 between the floats prevents surging of thecontents of the float chamber incase the instrument is rocked,

`as when the meter is mounted in a vehicle or launch.

On the top 2, inclosed inY an airtight case 42, having an actuatingwheel 45 that is engaged by a pawl 46 at the upper end of a slidable rod47, having a collar 48 and a foot 49, which rod extends through apassage 50 in the ioat 16.

The operation of the several parts is as follows: When the parts are asshown in the drawing the contents of the measuring chamber are runningout through the paage 8 into the storage chamber 11. When'the level ofthe liquid in the measuring chamber falls below the float 16, that willbe sustained by the link 19 until the llevel falls to about thedottedline 50, when the lower float and a window 43, is shown a counter Thislever has an uplever 24 will have swung down sufficiently to carry theshoulder 27 out of the path of the lug 26 on the lever 20. This permitsthe 1ever 20 to swingon its pivot very suddenly under the weight of thefloat 16, ,and the left'end of the lever will erk up on thefchain 38sufficiently strongly to swing the lever 33 and the arm 36 over thecenter, so that, if necessary, the spring 37 may complete the movementof the valves, forcing the valve 29 onto its seat and closing thepassage 8. Liquid will now iiow in through the passage 7, and slowlyrise above the float 17, which is held down by the lug 26 resting4 ontop of the shoulder 27,'as shown in Fig. 2. As soon as the upper float16 reaches the position shown in Fig. 1, the lug 26 will be swung fromabove the lug 27, and the Float 17 will be permitted to rise to theposition shown in Fig. 1, which it does so suddenly that the lever 24,will jerk up on the chain 39 sufiiciently strongly to carry the lever 33and the valves to theposition there shown. During the last portion ofthe downward movement of the float 16, it will contact with the collar48 on`the rod 47 and carry it to the dotted position, and yduring thelast portion-of vthe rise of the lower float 17, it will push up on thefoot 49 and move the rod 47 back to normal position. The number ofcycles of the meters can thereby be registered.

lt will be noted that if the flow from the pipe 14 be less than thatthrough the pas-f sage 8, the excess of liquidwill be stored inthechamber 11, the air passing up through the pipe 12 into the measuringchamber, and that when the measuring chamber is filling, the air willpass down the pipe 12. But if the chamber 11 is already partly orentirely full, the air in the measuring chamber becomes compressed andmay attain a pressure equal to that ot the incoming liquid. lln suchcaseit may be desirable to-enlarge the air space, which maybe donebysecuring an air chamber 52 to the top, the size of this chamberdepending upon and varying inversely withthe pressure of the liquid'coming through t-he pipe 10. 'llhis additional air space will oftenpermit the. complete charging of the measuring chamber -so that thecontents will be ready to flow out through the passage 8, a conditionwhich is often more desirable than the reverse, that is, with the liquidflowing into the measuring chamber at the time the flow is arrested.

rll`he proportion and` sizes of the diderent parts of this meter and thedetails of con- .struction may. all be varied by those skilled 1n theart without departingfrom the spirit of my invention as expressed in theclaims.

I claim:

1. lln a meter, the combination of a measuring chamber and a storagechamber having a passage connecting their lower ends valve to close saidopening, and means 1n-, cluding doats to alternately open either saidpassage or inlet opening and simultaneously close the other of said twolast named ele- 8. lln a liquid meter, the combination oil a caseprovided with a bottoin having inlet and outlet openings, a valve foreach opening, means connectingL said valves to cause them to movesimultaneously in opposite directions with reference to their seats, aplurality of vertically movable floats in said case, one above theother, connections between said Hoats whereby ,the upper float will holdthe lower float in its lower position until the upper oat has reached apredetermined height and whereby the lower float will keep the upperfloat in its upper position until the lower float has reached apredetermined depth, and means whereby the lower float may move saidvalves to open DI we) the outlet opening and the upper float may lcausethe closing of said opening.

y 4. lin a liquid meter, the combination oit a case having inlet andoutlet openings, floats in said case, connections between said floatswhereby one may hold the other in a predetermined position until thefirst has reached one limit of its movement and the second hold thelirst at said position until thesecond has reached said predeterminedlimit, and means whereby said doats may open and close the outlet andinlet openings.

5. lin a liquid meter, the combination oi a case having inlet and outletopenings, a rod mounted in the case, a pair oif floats slidable thereon,a pair of levers pivoted V.in said case having engaging projections,

means connecting one of the levers to each float, said parts soproportioned and positioned that the lower float will be held in itslower positiony until the upper lioat has attained its upper position,and the upper float will be held in its upper position until thelowerfloat has attained its lower position, and a pair of valvesgonnected to said levers and adapted to be moved by said I loats to openand close said openings.

6. lin' a` liquid meter, the combination' o' a case having inlet andoutlet openings, a rod mounted in the case, a pair of floats slidablethereon, a pair of levers pivoted in said case having engagingprojections,

means connecting one vof the levers to each float, said parts soproportioned and position, a ypair of valves connected to said leversand adapted to be moved by said floats `to open and close said openings,and means operable by the floats to count the operations of the meter. f

7. In a liquid meter', the combination of a case having inlet and outletopenings, a pair of floats therein, a valve for eaclropening, meansconnecting said valves, flexible connectors between the floats andvalves, and interlocking devices between thel floats whereby each isheld from movement until the other float has reached thel limit of itsmovement at which time the hitherto restrained float will move one valveonto its seat and the other ofl" its seat.

8. In a liquid meter, a measuring chamberV having an inlet and an outletpassage,`

a valve for each passage, a pair of floats connected to said valves andadapted to move the same to open the outlet passage when the liquid inthe chamber has attained a predetermined height and to close said outletpassage and open the inlet passage when the liquid has) sunk to apredetermined level, a storage chamber adjacent the measuring chamberand connecting to the outlet passage to receive liquid therefrom, andmeans connecting the upperl ends of said chambers to permit thepressures above the liquids in both chambers to equalize each other. c

9. In a liquid meter, a measuring chamber having an inlet and an outletpassage, a valve for each passage, means connected to said valves tomove the same to open they outlet passage whenl the liquid in thechamber has attained a predetermined height and to close said outletpassage and open the inlet passage when the liquid has sunk to apredetermined level, a storage chamber adjacent the measuring chamberand connected to the outlet passage to receive liquid therefrom, and apassage connecting the'space above the liquid in the measuring chamberwith the space above the liquid in the storage chamber to permit thepressures' above the liquids in both chambers to equalize.,

10. In a meter, the combination of a case provided with a bottom havinginlet and outlet openings, a' valve foreach opening, means connectingsaid valves to cause them to move simultaneously -in opposite directionswith reference to their seats, a plurality of floats-in said case,connections between said floats whereby one float will hold anotherfloat in its lower position until the first mentioned float has reacheda predetermined height and whereby the second mentioned float will keepIthe first mentioned float in its upper position until the secondmentioned float has reached a predetermined depth, and means whereby oneof the floats may move said valves to open the outlet opening and theother float may cause the closingof said opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES P. BLACHLY.

Witnesses:

JAY FULLER, EDWARD N. PAGELSEN.

